Acrylic, elastic, treated fabric and cardboard on canvas

320 x 243.8 x 5.1 cm

The title of this artwork is borrowed from the concept of thermohaline circulation, a system of ocean currents that have a large impact on Earth’s climate. As thermohaline circulation is affected by temperature and salt content, the work acts as a form of environmental critique, as its textured redness captures rising temperatures of the ocean as a state of bloodshed. In achieving this effect, THERMOHALINE sees Sterling Ruby’s reflection upon his studio as an “excavation site”, where scattered materials can be reassessed and upcycled into new works. Here, Ruby uses rollers and brooms to spread deep red acrylic paint over unprimed canvas laid directly on the studio ground, allowing impressions of ground created by incidental debris and textures to surface. The choice to attach further materials from his studio onto the canvas such as fabric and cardboard evokes the arrangement of indeterminate topographies, mimicking a cartographic view of the world.